OnQ Blog

Leading a connectivity revolution with distributed networks

Feb 8, 2017

Qualcomm products mentioned within this post are offered by Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

Just over a year ago, a new breed of home network was imagined when we announced Qualcomm Wi-Fi Self Organizing Network (SON). Wi-Fi SON is a central cog in our vision of bringing simplicity and effortless wireless connectivity to the far corners of a home – in fact, helping create a whole new category of products called distributed networks.

Distributed networking products typically come in sets of two or three, which are then placed around the home. Many of these systems have intuitive apps, and automate network setup and maintenance. These networks can sense which devices are connected, and manage those connections to support the best possible performance – routing traffic to the node or frequency band that is best, depending on the type of content or distance from the router. These networks can also quarantine unknown devices that may pose a security threat – all with minimal or no intervention by the user. It’s a transformative experience compared to what’s come before.

The Coming Sea-Change in the Home Network

So what’s happened in the year since? Every major home networking brand now offers distributed networking products based on Qualcomm Network solutions, including Eero, Luma, Netgear, Google, Ubiquiti, and Plume. And at CES this year, the momentum continued with new offerings announced by Linksys, D-Link, TP-Link, and ASUS.

Importantly, these are not products simply joining a new product trend. This is a strategic approach to align the network’s capabilities in the home to modern user demand profiles. To dive deeper on the sea change that’s happened, read our sponsored research brief.

With this powerful foundation of distributed networking, and a critical mass of products becoming available we’re now focused on building on this foundation to create really compelling user experiences - we’ll post more about these developments shortly.

Qualcomm Wi-Fi SON and Qualcomm Network features are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Nothing in these materials is an offer to sell any of the components or devices referenced herein. References to "Qualcomm"; may mean Qualcomm Incorporated, or subsidiaries or business units within the Qualcomm corporate structure, as applicable. Materials that are as of a specific date, including but not limited to press releases, presentations, blog posts and webcasts, may have been superseded by subsequent events or disclosures. Qualcomm Incorporated includes Qualcomm's licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of its patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of Qualcomm's engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of its products and services businesses. Qualcomm products referenced on this page are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.